The 2018 season wasn’t an enjoyable one for Falcons running back Devonta Freeman. Freeman hurt his knee in the opener, missed three games and then suffered a season-ending groin injury in his return to the lineup. That was one of many injuries that helped sink the Falcons last year and it’s made Freeman appreciate being [more]

Some of the Falcons’ best defensive players are choosing to stay away from Organized Team Activities. Among those not in attendance are defensive end Vic Beasley, linebacker Deion Jones and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Defensive end Adrian Clayborn skipped today but had been there earlier in [more]

Juwan Howard is returning to Michigan to coach men’s basketball. Which obviously has nothing to do with the NFL. But which has everything to do with our never-ending quest for ideas for PFT Live drafts. Howard’s Ann Arbor homecoming became the starting point for Thursday’s draft, which looks at the best NFL homecomings. Simms and [more]

The Falcons, for 2019 and moving forward, will return to a more traditional structure of their front office. Per a league source, the team has promoted Steve Sabo to director of player personnel. He will be, essentially, the second in command under G.M. Thomas Dimitroff. Sabo previously had served as director of college scouting. Regional [more]

Falcons defensive end Steven Means‘ 2019 season is already over. The team announced on Wednesday that Means will not play this year after suffering an Achilles injury. Means was preparing for his second season with the Falcons at the time of the injury. He played in eight games and made four starts for Atlanta last [more]

The Cardinals have added a veteran to their defensive line group. Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports that defensive tackle Terrell McClain is joining the team on a one-year deal. McClain played in 13 games for the Falcons last season and was credited with 17 tackles and a sack. He’s also played with Washington, Dallas, Houston, [more]

The Bucs and veteran defensive tackle Gerald McCoy had a “mutual parting” (i.e., they cut him) on Monday. So which other veteran players need to worry about a similar “mutual parting”? Simms and I devoted Tuesday’s PFT Live draft to the veterans who could end up on the wrong side of a “mutual parting” between [more]

Falcons General Manager Thomas Dimitroff has been optimistic about getting a deal done with wide receiver Julio Jones whenever the topic has come up this offseason and said recently that he’s “very encouraged” with how contract talks are progressing, but nothing has been signed at this point. As a result, the Falcons continue to do [more]

One of the biggest stories of the week came on Wednesday, when the Jets fired G.M. Mike Maccagnan. That move sparked Friday’s PFT Live draft, which looked at the General Managers who are on the hottest seats as the 2019 season approaches. The stakes are high. Although Dave Gettleman and John Dorsey landed new G.M. jobs [more]

The news of Scott Pioli’s sudden departure from the Falcons was abrupt, and in the absence of more information, speculation filled the vacuum. But the former assistant General Manager told Jeff Schultz of TheAthletic.com that there was nothing sinister about his leaving, or any imminent next step. “I’m fine. My family is fine,” Pioli said. [more]

The Falcons have wrapped up their draft class contracts. The team announced that first-round guard Chris Lindstrom has signed his rookie deal, the seventh of their seven picks to handle the paperwork. The guard from Boston College was the 14th overall pick, and part of a concerted effort to shore up the offensive line this [more]

The Falcons will be making a change in their front office this season. Assistant General Manager Scott Pioli is stepping down from the position. In a statement released via the team, Pioli said that he expected to be working with General Manager Thomas Dimitroff for two or three years and is looking for “other potential [more]

The Falcons dealt with injuries to several key players on their way to a 7-9 record in 2019 and one of those players believes that a return to health will mean a return to a winning record in Atlanta. Safety Ricardo Allen went down with a torn Achilles in the third week of the season, [more]

Falcons guard Jamon Brown used funds from his foundation to aid a family dealing with a tragedy. One-month-old De’Anthony Trice died in Louisville last week. His father told police that he used his fist to hit his son in the head after losing a video game and the baby died after being taken to a [more]

Falcons owner Arthur Blank may or may not be restless. But he’s definitely defensive. Via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Falcons owner released an expanded statement, to defend his coach and General Manager and all the fine work they’ve done. “I’m feeling very good about what Thomas [Dimitroff] and Dan [Quinn] have [more]

The offseason power rankings promulgated by Peter King in his latest Football Morning in America column included this observation about seventeenth-seeded Atlanta: “I keep hearing owner Arthur Blank is getting restless.” That comment apparently made Blank restless. Restless enough to correct the record via a quote to Chris Mortensen of ESPN. Here’s the tweet from [more]

Longtime NFL guard Andy Levitre was released by the Falcons this offseason, and won’t be trying to latch on elsewhere. Via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the 32-year-old Levitre announced his retirement on social media. “Unfortunately, due to injury my body won’t allow me to continue any longer,” he wrote. He’s been bothered [more]

Running back Devonta Freeman has made good progress in his recovery from knee and groin injuries, so he’s been participating in the team’s offseason program with eyes on being full speed for training camp. That puts him a bit ahead of a couple of his teammates, although safeties Ricardo Allen and Keanu Neal are also [more]

Falcons running back Devonta Freeman is participating in the team’s offseason program and a full-go for training camp, coach Dan Quinn said Saturday. “We can’t wait to get Free back,” Quinn said, via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “He’s having such an awesome offseason. His energy, his juice, like him being around the [more]

It seems like the Falcons talks with Julio Jones about a contract extension are perpetual, but there is something new this time. According to Jeff Schultz of TheAthletic.com, Falcons General Manager Thomas Dimitroff said that Jones was planning to be on hand for the team’s minicamp in June, which he skipped last year. There’s even [more]

The Falcons signed undrafted free agent Tony Brooks-James after a tryout during the team’s rookie minicamp. The team announced the addition of the Oregon running back, opening a roster spot by waiving running back Jeremy Langford with an injury designation. Brooks-James had 283 carries for 1,863 yards and 18 touchdowns in his four-year career. He [more]

The Falcons have signed one of the two offensive linemen they selected in the first round of this year’s draft. The team announced on Thursday that they have signed tackle Kaleb McGary to his first NFL contract. They also signed fourth-round cornerback Kendall Sheffield. Atlanta traded their second- and third-round picks to the Rams to [more]

The Falcons chose former Pitt running back Qadree Ollison in the fifth round of the draft, and Ollison’s entry into the NFL has placed renewed attention on his personal story. In 2017, on a Saturday when Ollison was playing in a game at Pitt, his brother Lerowne Harris was shot and killed. The killer turned [more]

Perhaps no team in the league had as many injury issues as the Falcons last year, so it’s easy to justify hiring a new doctor. According to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Falcons named Dr. Kyle Hammond their new team physician. He’s been a member of the team’s medical staff the last [more]

The Falcons announced they have agreed to terms with four draft picks — fourth-round defensive end John Cominsky, fifth-round running back Qadree Ollison, fifth-round cornerback Jordan Miller, and sixth-round running back Marcus Green. Cominsky was part of General Manager Thomas Dimitroff’s 16th career draft day trade. The Falcons traded their 137th and 230th overall picks [more]

The Falcons have given a promotion in their personnel operation, and brought in another veteran evaluator. The team announced that longtime scout Shepley Heard has been named director of pro personnel. Heard has 14 years of experience with the Falcons as a scout. They also moved Joel Collier from that pro personnel job to national [more]

Falcons General Manager Thomas Dimitroff gave an update on two ongoing contract negotiations during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio, but there wasn’t much new to report about defensive tackle Grady Jarrett or wide receiver Julio Jones. There was a report in mid-April that the Falcons and Jones were not far apart on a new [more]

Matt Ryan‘s already feeling more comfortable, which is something he rarely was last year. The Falcons signed a pair of guards in free agency, and then used two first-round picks on offensive linemen, giving their quarterback what they hope is a better grade of protection this season. He was sacked 42 times last year, the [more]

Fans have defaulted on about $30 million of personal seat licenses since Mercedes-Benz Stadium opened in 2017, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The Falcons responded to the newspaper that it continues to sell PSLs to new buyers and has no plans to put single-game tickets on sale to the general public. The Falcons reported in September [more]

The Falcons drafted a guard with the 14th overall pick of the draft and they said farewell to a veteran at the same position on Monday. The team announced they have released Brandon Fusco. Fusco started the first seven games of the 2019 season at right guard before landing on injured reserve with an ankle [more]

The Falcons announced 16 undrafted rookie signings on Monday and the group includes five players who played wide receiver in college. Only four of them are going to be playing wideout in Atlanta, however. The team said that Jayson Stanley will be trying to make the team as a cornerback after playing wideout at the [more]